Catalog year: 2016

In 2016, the global metals market experienced a number of interesting changes and trends, mainly due to economic and geopolitical instability.
In 2016, gold prices increased significantly, which was facilitated by instability in financial markets and record low interest rates. As a result, the demand for gold investment coins and bullion has increased markedly. Gold prices peaked in the middle of the year, approaching $1,360 per ounce in July 2016. Silver, platinum and palladium prices rose similarly, although their dynamics were more fluctuating.
Silver, which is also often seen as an investment asset, followed the trends of gold, but with greater volatility. Investors actively bought silver coins and bullion, which led to a noticeable increase in value. The rise in silver prices was also driven by an increase in industrial demand.
The market for industrial metals such as copper, aluminum, nickel and zinc was characterized by relatively more stable prices, although there were some fluctuations associated with changes in global demand and supply forecasts. It is noteworthy that the second half of 2016 brought an increase in prices for many industrial metals due to improvements in the Chinese economy and speculative demand.
The market of investment coins and bullion in 2016 was revived by the increased interest of investors in the purchase of physical assets. The most important producing and exporting countries of such investment products are the USA, Canada, Australia and China. Coins of such series as the American Eagle, the Canadian Maple Leaf, the Australian Kangaroo and the Chinese Panda were very popular among investors.
Differences in taxation and regulation of precious metals transactions in different countries have also played a role in the market. An example is India, where measures taken to combat corruption and the "black" market, such as demonetization, have had an impact on purchasing activity and temporarily destabilized the gold market.
Economic factors such as interest rates, inflation expectations, and exchange rates also had a significant impact on investor behavior. Especially important was the expectation of an increase in interest rates in the United States, which caused short-term fluctuations in prices for precious metals.